Chapter 17 - The Road South
By dawn, the storm had blown itself out, leaving the Hartwell valley washed in a brilliant, crystal-clear morning light. The air smelled of wet pine, ozone, and fresh earth.
Daniel stood by his patched-up sedan parked near the edge of the south road lane. The engine sputtered to life after three tries, coughing a small cloud of gray smoke into the crisp morning air before settling into a steady, rhythmic purr.
I handed him a sealed manila envelope through the driver's window.
He looked down at it, his hands trembling slightly. “What’s this?”
“A bus ticket to Savannah, a list of contacts for an agricultural transport cooperative that needs manual labor, and three hundred dollars in cash,” I said evenly. “It’s enough to get you a fresh start if you keep your head down, work with your hands, and never look back up this mountain.”
Daniel stared at me, then looked past me toward the farmhouse porch where Claire stood watching quietly in the morning light.
“Tell her... thank you,” Daniel whispered, his voice cracking.
May you like
“Don't tell her anything,” I replied, stepping back from the car. “Just go live a life worth keeping.”
He put the car into gear, and without another word, he rolled down the gravel lane, rounding the bend toward the interstate highway, leaving Hartwell County behind him forever.
